The system of the invention may be incorporated into a telephone answering system of the type described, for example, in Copending Application Ser. No. 523,115, which was filed Aug. 15, 1983, and which is assigned to the present assignee. The telephone answering system described in the Copending Application includes a magnetic tape (T-1) on which an announcement is recorded, and which is activated during an announcement interval (T.sub.1) in response to a telephone call, and which causes the announcement to be transmitted over the telephone line to the calling party during that interval. At the end of the announcement interval (T.sub.1) a magnetic tape (T.sub.2) is activated, and the message received over the telephone line from the calling party during the ensuing time interval (T.sub.2) is recorded on that tape.
Remote control of the telephone answering system described in the Copending Application is achieved by means of a small portable transmitter which is held up to the mouthpiece of a telephone by the calling party, or by the calling party operating selected pushbuttons of the "Touch Tone" type telephone, so that a remote control tone signal of a particular frequency may be transmitted over the telephone line. The telephone answering system of the Copending Application is designed to respond to a tone signal of a particular frequency to activate a remote control circuit. This remote control circuit causes the message tape (T-2) to be rewound and then set to a playback condition so that the messages recorded on the message tape may be successively transmitted over the telephone line to the calling party.
In the system of the Copending Application, the remote control tone signal may be transmitted over the telephone line to the telephone answering system, either during the announcement interval (T.sub.1) or during the message recording interval (T.sub.2). Upon the receipt of the proper remote control tone signal, a microcomputer causes the system to transmit a series of beep tones over the telephone line to the calling party. Should the calling party again send the remote control tone signal over the telephone line at that time, a new announcement may be recorded on the announcement tape (T-1). Upon the receipt of the remote control tone signal the announcement tape is rewound to its beginning position, at which time the microcomputer causes a continuous tone to be transmitted over the telephone line to the calling party indicating that the system is now ready to receive the new announcement. The calling party then transmits the new announcement over the telephone line, and the new announcement is recorded on the announcement tape (T-1). The calling party then transmits the remote control tone signal once more, which causes the microcomputer to stop the announcement tape (T-1), and to cause a beep tone to be recorded on the announcement tape, indicating the end of the announcement.
The system of the present invention has an additional feature in that when remote control signals are transmitted over the telephone line to the telephone answering system in a particular code, the announcement tape (T-1) is moved to a selected position at which a first message may be recorded, at which time the microcomputer causes a continuous tone to be transmitted to the calling party over the telephone line indicating that the system is now ready to receive the message. The calling party then sends the message over the telephone line, and the message is recorded at the selected position on the announcement tape (T-1). The calling party then transmits the selected code again over the telephone line, which causes the microcomputer to stop the announcement tape (T-1), and which causes a beep tone to be recorded on the tape indicating the end of the message.
By using different codes, the calling party may record different messages at different locations on the announcement tape (T-1) which may, for example, be forwarded to different persons. These different persons are each provided with a different code, and they may obtain their messages from their respective remote locations by sending their codes over the telephone line and thereby obtaining access to the particular locations on the announcement tape (T-1) at which their particular messages are recorded.
The tones may be sent over the telephone line first to obtain access for recording the different messages, and then to obtain access for receiving the different messages, by utilizing different pushbuttons of a "Touch Tone" telephone, or by using a transmitter unit equipped with a "Touch Tone" keyboard.